Cory Mills, a Florida Republican who lost his congressional primary earlier this month, faced another setback when part of a weapons facility owned by his company, Pacem Defense, exploded in northern Florida. The incident caused significant damage to one building but no injuries were reported. Pacem Defense specializes in manufacturing and selling high-explosive grenades internationally and has been struggling with financial issues including tens of millions of dollars in debt. Mills still holds a majority stake in the company despite previous claims he had stepped away from running it, according to his congressional financial disclosures.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Cory Mills, a Florida Republican who entered Congress in 2023, saw his career implode when he lost his primary election by 13 points last month. Recently, part of a weapons facility owned by Pacem Defense, a company Mills co-founded and still holds a majority stake in despite claiming to have stepped away from running it years ago, exploded. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening at the Pacem Defense facility in northern Florida and caused significant damage to one building but no injuries.
The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reported that many residents heard and felt the explosion, with some stating their homes shook due to the blast. Although Mills has previously faced allegations of stealing valor and was involved in legal issues related to dating violence and domestic assault, this recent incident adds another layer of controversy to his already troubled career.
Written for “Cory Mills Controversy” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Last month, Cory Mills’ career in Congress imploded when the Florida Republican lost his primary by 13 points.
asserted
Republican → implode → points
Now part of a weapons facility operated by a company that Mills co-owns has exploded.
asserted
Mills → operate → company
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening at a Pacem Defense facility in northern Florida and caused no injuries, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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Office → occur → statement
Mills, who entered Congress in 2023, has said that he stepped away from running his arms companies years ago, but he still owns a majority stake in Pacem Defense, according to his most recent congressional financial disclosure.
uncertain
he → enter → disclosure
The explosion at Pacem Defense, which specialized in making and selling high explosive grenades to foreign militaries, was apparently massive.
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which → specialize → militaries
The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said in its statement that one building at the Pacem facility sustained “significant damage” in the explosion, adding on Facebook that “[m]any residents heard and felt” it.
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residents → say → it
One person who lives about three miles away from the facility wrote on the site that her brick home started shaking.
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home → live → site
The sheriff’s office said that neither of the two workers who were at Pacem Defense at the time of the explosion were harmed.
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who → say → explosion
It added that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Defense, and the Florida state Fire Marshal’s office are now involved in the investigation.
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Bureau → add → investigation
Since 2025, the scandal-plagued Florida man has been accused of stealing valor, placed under a restraining order by a judge after subjecting an ex-girlfriend to “dating violence” via cyberstalking, and was nearly arrested after being accused of domestic assault by a different girlfriend.
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man → plague → girlfriend
(That partner later retracted the allegation and no charges were filed.)
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charges → retract → allegation
As I reported in a February profile of Mills, the full list is much longer.
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list → report → Mills
Nevertheless, Mills managed to secure Donald Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement” earlier this year.
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Mills → manage → Endorsement
Despite that support, Mills was easily defeated in his August primary by Ryan Elijah, a former local TV news anchor.
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Mills → defeat → Elijah
In late 2025, Pacem indefinitely furloughed many of its employees after racking up tens of millions of dollars in debt, according to court records.
uncertain
Pacem → furlough → records
It has remained largely shuttered since then, a former employee told me on Thursday.
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employee → remain → Thursday
(In March, Craig Pittman called the Pacem facility a “ticking time bomb.”)
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Pittman → call → facility
According to a Florida court filing, Pacem ended up owing a Canadian lender more than $66 million.
uncertain
Pacem → accord → million
In another case, Pacem is subject to an order under which it is obligated to pay $8 million to an arms company that bought grenades from Pacem but never received them.
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that → obligate → them
A status update submitted in federal court on Wednesday states that Pacem has still not “paid any portion of the judgment amount.”
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Pacem → submit → amount
Mills’ financial disclosure states that he also maintains a 100 percent interest in Pacem Estate Holdings, the real estate entity that owns the site where the explosion on Wednesday occurred.
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explosion → state → Wednesday
According to court records, Pacem Estate Holdings continued to receive $12,000 per month in rent from another Pacem entity while the company’s workers were out of work.
uncertain
workers → accord → work
Last Thursday, after remaining mostly silent on social media in the wake of his primary defeat, Mills struck a defiant tone on X—posing in front of a wall of fire and water in a tight polo with a Swiss watch that can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
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that → remain → dollars
“A Phoenix rises from the ashes,” Mills declared.
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Mills → rise → ashes
Six days later, the ashes appear to have become real.
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ashes → appear → ?
The Aporia
